The operatives of the Osun Amotekun Corps announced has apprehended a middle-aged man identified as Isaac Okunu for trafficking five young boys from Akwa-Ibom state to Ajebandele in Osun State without the consent of their parents or relatives.
The criminal, who was arrested around 6:45 P.M on Thursday in Ifetedo, Osun State, confessed to trafficking the young boys without the consent of their parents and kinsmen.
The trafficking victims are David Dominic Udoh, 23 years old, from Ikot Ekpene in Akwa Ibom; Moses Ibom Sunday, 10 years old, from Ikot Ekpene in Akwa Ibom State; David Sunday Okafor, 11 years old, from Arujukwu Village in Akwa Ibom State; Wisdom Ukpong Bassey, 15 years old from Akwa Ibom State, and Hope Nwem Eto, 14 years old from Akwa Ibom State.
Narrating their ordeal, the victims stated, “We were taken out of Akwa Ibom State without the consent of our parents or relatives, and Isaac lied to us that he was taking us to Lagos State to provide jobs for us, not knowing that he was taking us to Osun State to work on the farm.”
The suspect’s plan became public when the driver of the vehicle transporting the victims noticed strange things in the vehicle and alerted the Amotekun outfit in Ifetedo Command of Ife South Local Government and Amotekun Ife Area Commander.
This development prompted the operatives to swing into action, arresting the culprit on the spot. After investigations, he confessed to the crime.
In his statement, the suspect explained that he met the young boys in the motor park in Akwa Ibom State begging for money. He told them that if they followed him to Lagos State, he could provide a job for them. Without the consent of their parents or relatives, he took them inside the transport vehicle and moved them down to Osun State, heading to Ajebandele, before luck ran against him in Ifetedo, Ife South Local Government, of Osun State.
Commenting on the incident while speaking with newsmen in Osogbo, the Corps Commander of Osun Amotekun Corps, Brig. Gen. Bashir Adewinmbi, hinted that “the suspect was arrested for child trafficking of five young boys in Ifetedo, Ife South LG of Osun State around 6:45 pm on Thursday, 29th February 2024, after a complaint was lodged at Amotekun Ifetedo Command and Ife Area Command by the driver of the transport vehicle that transported them from Akwa Ibom to Osun State. The Amotekun operatives immediately swung into action and apprehended the suspect and the victims.”
“Upon investigation, he confessed to transporting the young boys to Osun State without the consent of their parents or relatives. He lied to the young boys that he was taking them to Lagos State, but he planned to take them to Ajebandele in Osun State to work on the farm,” Adewinmbi said.
“The suspect and the victims have been transferred to the National Agency For Prohibition Of Trafficking In Persons (NAPTIP) Headquarters, Osogbo, for subsequent interrogation and prosecution,” he submitted.
